Crispy Quail
A Korean-style fried quail dish with a glossy red appearance, crispy skin and tender meat, offering a savory, spicy aroma.
Ingredients
quail (smothered, plucked, split along the back, gutted, and washed)
10
cilantro (washed, for garnish on the plate)
5 g
starch (for coating the quail skin)
50 g
refined salt
1 g
chili oil
15 g
soy sauce
25 g
ginger (some smashed for marinating, some minced for seasoning)
50 g
soybean oil (for frying)
1000 g (actual usage 60 g)
garlic (peeled and finely minced)
25 g
MSG (monosodium glutamate)
1 g
spicy soybean paste (for dipping)
50 g
Instructions
1
Marinate the Quail
Smother the quail, pluck the feathers, split along the back, remove the innards, and wash clean. Use a sharp bamboo skewer to poke several small holes inside the breast (without piercing the skin). Place in a porcelain bowl, add soy sauce, refined salt, white pepper, Sichuan peppercorn water, scallion pieces, and smashed ginger pieces. Marinate for half an hour until flavorful.
2
Prepare the Seasoning Sauce
Peel the garlic and mince finely, place in a bowl. Add sesame oil, minced ginger, soy sauce, and the prepared mustard powder with MSG, and mix into a seasoning sauce. Set aside.
3
Coat and Dry
Hang the marinated quail on an iron hook, suspended from a bamboo stick to dry. Place starch in a porcelain bowl, add 150 ml of warm water, stir well, and brush the mixture onto the dried quail skin. Reapply every 3 minutes, three times in total, until a thin powdery coating forms on the quail's surface.
4
Fry the Quail
Heat a wok and add soybean oil. When the oil reaches medium heat (about 50% hot), support the quail with a slotted spoon and quickly ladle hot oil into the body cavity with a small ladle. Once the quail is about 90% cooked through this process, place it into oil heated to about 80% hot and fry until the skin becomes crispy. Remove, chop into strips, and arrange on a plate to recreate the quail's shape. Garnish the edges of the plate with washed cilantro leaves.
5
Serve and Enjoy
When serving, provide each diner with a small dish of chili oil and garlic-mustard sauce, plus a small dish of spicy soybean paste, for dipping. Ready to enjoy.
